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The Plan
Formerly known as Plan C, The Plan is my Epic Road Trip to restore a little faith, and also to enjoy the physical health and money I have saved so far. I have officially given up being a Linux Admin in Silicon Valley, I do not plan to continue this career path, but that doesn't mean there isn't a job in Silicon Valley that is right for me, and I am open to the idea that this could be forestalled if I find that position. About The scheduled date for this trip to begin is 2012-12-31. My landlord is currently attempting to baselessly evict me, and the time needed to settle the issue legally may prevent me from meeting that deadline. Once the landlord situation is resolved satisfactorily, I will be free to begin the trip. There is no fixed destination or time limit on the trip. I am hoping my faithful Subaru Forester will take me where I need to go, and I am hoping to outfit her to be a more practical mobile home for an unknown time-frame. She's a 2002 model, her name is Gin ("Japanese" for silver), and she has travelled about 188,000 miles, so far. Oh, and she was hit by a semi-truck, and declared a total loss by insurance, she is in perfect driving condition, however. I have most everything I need to ensure survival on the road, but I don't have all the luxuries yet that will make it less painful. I have my car, a Jetboil stove, a sleeping bag, two tents and clothing. That's really all I need, to survive. I have a list below of things that may help, feel free to add your own suggestions, etc. I have a lot of possessions that I can't really utilize while I am on the road, so I am hoping to find good homes for them. If I cannot find a home, they will end up in a trash bin. If you would like to see what I am giving away, browse on over to the page of useless things. I need all the support I can get, I can do this on my own, that's not an issue for me, but it helps to have some people rooting for you. Positive words, suggestions for places to see (no photos, please), good restaurants to eat at, ways to save money and live frugally are all helpful. Concerns you have are also valid, please address them with me, and see if I haven't considered them. I am one person, I cannot consider everything, so I am relying on you. If you are interested in getting to know me, please get in touch. If you might enjoy being on the road, you should contact me before I remove and burn the passenger seat of my car, to make more room for sleeping and stowage. If you have resources at your disposal that could help me, and you would like to support me, please contact me. If you have suggestions for items that will make living out of a car easier, things to purchase, tools to have to make things more convenient, I appreciate the suggestions. I am maintaining a list of locations to stop at, on Google Maps, feel free to participate: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201984079726068625705.0004948649e28359a6746&msa=0 Also, I have this map of tripoints to visit: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201984079726068625705.0004cbc409f2e75c8cd32&msa=0 This suggestion from a friend, the places mentioned in the song "I've Been Everywhere" https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205983026516839309869.000476c842feab74dce6c&msa=0 Supplies! * Hiking clothing, pack, accessories necessary for 5 days on a trail * 30F Marmot Pounder sleeping bag, for warm camping * 2002 Subaru Forester * Laptop for continued work on Plan A and Plan B * Reliable pocket knife * Enough clothes to not worry about needing to stay warm/etc * Blankets, pillows, whatever. * JetBoil for very simple cooking * Hennesy Hammock, a hammock tent thing, for easy setup in brushy areas * ESEE Junglas (a beefy machete) for resizing and making firewood Still Needed General Camping Stuff * Lantern for playing solitaire at night or just some ambiance * Solar shower, to stay clean Sleeping * 15F or better sleeping bag for cold nights Food Stuffs * Coleman Stove (friend offered me one, so this may be set) * Dutch oven (baking, stews, etc) * Steel tripod for hanging a grill or dutch oven over the fire * Large water-bag for keeping potable water portable * RELIABLE cooler for saving food / ice costs Fire Safety * Fire extinguisher * Shovel, for tending the coals and digging my car out of rough spots Portable Power * Deep cycle battery (marine battery) for portable power * A reliable inverter, to provide clean power from the battery * DC charger, a way to charge the battery, using 12V DC Navigator / Co-driver Wanted Having a navigator for a trip like this would be exceptionally helpful. I can steer my car and ask my GPSr for directions, so It's not a matter of getting lost, it's a matter of having an extra pair of eyes and someone interesting to share ideas and experiences with. Because of the nature of the trip, if you are interested in riding shotgun, it would be a good idea that you be free in your life to do so, and that we won't kill each other in our sleep. I only know one person who fits this bill, but there may be more out there. We need to get in touch, if you think this sounds like what you want to do, as well, and see if we wouldn't mind being in close proximity for great periods of time. I am not opposed to breaks from traveling; extended stays in one area, to provide personal time. Photography If you have any Nikon camera gear gathering dust, I may be interested. I am hoping to replace my 17-55 f/2.8 DX lens with the 16-35 f/4. If you want to fund my camera gear, even better. I have a Nikon D300 that I love, and will continue to shoot, but I am hoping to pick up a FF body, like the D4 for landscapes and waterfalls, etc. Some of my existing work can be seen on Flickr, so you can see the type of photography I enjoy, and have 'produced.' Things to See National Parks Any and all. I love the National Parks so much, it is disgusting. I plan to buy a new parks pass when 'mine' expires. They cost $80 and kill park entry fees, reduce admission costs and tour prices. They're totally worth it if you go to see more than two National Parks in a year. Museums Museums are great for days when the weather isn't perfect, or just for someplace to go to spend a leisurely day learning about something. Some museums are very small and easy to tour, others are more in depth, and you can learn about whatever. I like the more factful museums, where I can learn about history, people and invention. I'm not big on art type museums, but I would like to stop at a few, anyhow. Examples; The Computer History Museum (Mountain View, CA), The Little White House (Warm Springs, GA; where FDR vacationed) Oddities If you know of an amazing topless burlesque show to catch somewhere or crazy junk art along the side of a lonely highway, tell me about it. I'll make a point to go see it, and take photos for you. Well, not of the topless ladies (unless they don't mind signing a model release, and posing), but of the cool things you direct me to. Examples; Nitwit Ridge, Madonna Inn, Lakenenland, The World's Largest anything, just about any strip club, as long it is clean and tasteful. Geonerdery Perhaps some unique geographic points, like the South-most point of North America, on Key West? The Geographic Center of North America (Rugby, ND)? I've seen a lot, but I don't know of everything there is to see. Big ones, like the two above, are well known but the monument along US-41 at 45 degrees marking half-way between the equator and the north pole is less common. Examples; 45 degrees longitude and 90 deg latitude, Geographic Center of the United States (or North America, two separate places!), tripoints (where 3 states meet), Four Corners (Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado) Dining Restaurants are pretty awesome. Some are unique for their location, their style, the origin of a dish, or the best place to get a dish. Whatever the reason, I'd like to see it, and maybe eat there. A restaurant in an airplane? Seen it, but there's more than one. A restaurant KNOWN for their baby back ribs? Perfect. A restaurant known for some odd dish I've never tried is even better. Examples; The Anchor Bar (Buffalo, NY; home of the buffalo wing), Nepenthe ($15 burgers, in Big Sur, CA .. it's not about the food, it's the location and design), etc.